Complete summary of proposed changes

If little of the following makes sense, just realize that this totally restricts all those coming over to SB from staying for a day to enjoy the beach or just making life difficult. This one beach is perhaps the last one in NC that is undeveloped and left in a very rustic, Southern style. If you enjoy 3 hour limit parking meters, greatly restricted parking rules, then welcome to Sunset Beach.

Please provide your comments. They will all be presented to Town Council as a mild form of protest against the following 'Draft' proposal.

Summary of Draft Recommendations from Parking Committee

After group research and discussion since May, the committee’s general recommendations are:

1. Adopt new parking standards for each street as follows:

a. Main Street, North Shore Drive, and Canal Drive‐parallel parking allowed on both sides of the street (with the direction of traffic) with no more than two contiguous parking places at any one parking site.   Spaces to be designated.  Once the planned bike/walk path is constructed, parking would not be allowed on the same side of the street as the path.  (Committee voted unanimously).

b. Parking would be changed from parallel to diagonal at the west end of Main Street between 40^th Street and the inlet to increase the number of spaces.  (Committee voted8‐1).

c. No parking would be allowed on side streets 1st‐6th  and 7^th through 15^th on the east side and 27th ‐40^th on the west side of the island.  (Committee voted nanimously).

d. Marlin, Dolphin, Sailfish, or Cobia Streets‐ parallel parking allowed on both sides of the street (with the direction of traffic) with no more than two contiguous parking places at any one parking site.   Spaces to be designated.  (Committee voted unanimously).

e. Sunset Blvd‐we support unanimously the general plan previously developed by the Streetscape committee for the area along the street between North Shore and Main Street.  The plan would increase designated spaces to approximately 63 along the east side of the street, and would incorporate a bike/walk path on the west side of the street.  We also support unanimously the reconfiguration of the gazebo parking lot to add more spaces per Councilman DeVita’s previous presentation.

2. That the Town convert the designated parking spaces to paid parking while incorporating a permit system that would allow town residents to use available spaces at no cost.  It would be expected that there would be some nominal cost to cover the expense of producing and tracking these permits.  (Committee voted unanimously).

3. That the Town ask DOT to adopt a lower speed limit along Main Street during the season (May through September?) after DOT conducts a traffic study.  (Committee voted unanimously).

4. That the Town enforce existing ordinances regarding driveway cuts, encourage the grouping of mailboxes along blocks and streets, and any other actions that might free space for potential parking spaces along any of the available streets.   

5. The Town adopt and enforces a ‘no overnight parking’ rule for all island public parking spaces.

6. Finally, there is an existing issue of folks parking on private property without permission (usually on undeveloped lots).  Our Town police staff has told us that the D.A.’s office will not prosecute these infractions even if tickets are written.  This is a loophole that the Town will need to work with both property owners and the appropriate County staff to resolve.